


Falling too fast to prepare for this

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: (No Longer A) Secret Marriage [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Secret Marriage, Wayward Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 02:51:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13917825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: Dean asked, “do you ever think what our lives would be like without monsters?”Instead of shutting down the dangerous thought process, Cas said, with complete certainty, “you would be an auto mechanic.”Dean smiled.  “You could be so many things.  A beekeeper, a florist, a librarian…” A lightbulb went off in the hunter’s head.  “A teacher!”





	Falling too fast to prepare for this

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the song “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons. This is part 3 of a story arc in this series. Enjoy!

Sam and Dean were in an open field — sitting on the hood of the Impala as the sun began to set — when Chuck’s next round of resurrections took place.

The brothers were suddenly face-to-face with Bobby, Ellen, and Jo.

The three hunters hadn’t aged a day.

They all stared at each other for a moment, in complete disbelief.

It was Bobby who spoke first. He crossed his arms and asked, his Southern drawl apparent, “what did you boys do?”

Dean and Sam leapt off the Impala hood with their eyebrows furrowed.

Sam said seriously, “we saved God.”

Ellen and Jo laughed, Bobby looking disappointed in what he thought was one of Sam and Dean’s antics.

Ellen huffed, “sure you did, boys.”

Dean and Sam remained steadfast.

Dean said, “his name is Chuck, actually.”

Sam and Dean watched Bobby, Ellen, and Jo falter. Their expressions grew serious.

“You’re telling the truth?” Jo asked incredulously.

“We are,” Sam said. “Welcome back to the living.”

“How long have we been gone?” Ellen asked curiously.

Sam did the math. “Seven years, give or take.”

The three hunters gasped.

Jo said, “it feels like-”

“No time has passed,” Ellen finished.

“Interesting,” Sam commented. Dean could see the gears in his head turning, searching for an explanation.

Sam’s thoughts were interrupted when Ellen said, “well, you boys aged quite a bit.”

Dean gasped dramatically, holding a hand to his heart. “I’m hurt.”

“Ignore him. He won’t admit that he’s ol-”

“Shush! I won’t have any blasphemy in this house,” Dean hissed.

Sam splayed out his hands. “We’re outside!” 

“No. Blasphemy. Sam.”

Sam sighed deeply and directed his attention back to an amused Bobby, Ellen, and Jo.

“I see you two haven’t changed much,” Bobby observed.

Sam shrugged, Dean running a hand through his hair.

That’s when Jo gasped loudly.

Everyone raised their eyebrows in confusion.

Jo stepped into Dean’s personal space with no warning, grabbing his hand forcefully. She made a show of holding it to the remaining sunlight.

Dean’s eyes widened when he saw his gold wedding ring glinting in the pinkish orange light.

Bobby and Ellen saw what Jo was freaking out about, their eyes widening.

Not even bothering to hide her shock, Jo asked, “you're married?” 

The lack of accusation in her tone did nothing to ease Dean’s mind.

Inside, Dean was having a panic attack. These people meant so much to him. He couldn’t face rejection from them. He wouldn’t know what to do. He would probably take Cas and run away. As long as he had Cas, nothing else mattered.

Dean had been silent for a long time, not moving or speaking. It was starting to get awkward.

That’s when they heard the sound of a portal opening. Dean pulled away from Jo’s grasp as everyone turned towards the open field.

The portal was facing the ground a few feet in the air. Dean saw Kevin, Charlie, and Cas drop from the portal. They all landed nicely, flipping so that their backs rested against the grass. Kevin and Charlie had pistols in their hands, while Cas had one of Dean’s sawed-off shotguns. While Kevin and Charlie were still positioning their pistols towards the portal, Cas had fired off three shots towards whatever adversary was still inside the portal. Dean heard the screams of a monster dying, then the portal closed unceremoniously.

Dean started towards them, watching the three friends catch their breath.

Once Dean was out of earshot, Sam looked at Bobby, Ellen, and Jo. He said, “Dean’s married to Cas.”

Their jaws dropped. Sam could practically see their minds absorb and process the information.

It was Bobby, as always, who spoke first. “You’re telling me,” he pointed to Dean, “that Dean Winchester,” he turned back to Sam, “grew a pair and got his shit together?”

Sam laughed and nodded. “I can’t believe it either!”

“Goddamn.” Bobby looked at Dean and said to the air, “good for you, Dean.”

Meanwhile, Dean was approaching Kevin, Charlie, and Cas. 

Dean heard Kevin as he said, “let’s not do that again.”

Charlie said, “yeah, I’m traumatized.”

Cas added, “let’s never go to a museum again.”

The three friends agreed and laughed for a moment, gaining their bearings while lying on the grass.

When Dean’s shadow enveloped their forms, they all looked surprised.

“Dean? What are you doing here?” Charlie asked.

Dean peered down at them. “I was here first. I should be asking you that.”

Kevin explained, “we were on a hunt. It was supposed to be a ghost-”

“But the ghost was haunting a museum!” Charlie exclaimed.

“It reanimated its corpse, and it just so happened to be a mummy!” Kevin continued.

“So we were running-” Charlie said.

“And Cas had the bright idea-” Kevin pointed to Cas.

“To open a portal and shoot at it from somewhere else!” Charlie exclaimed, making a finger gun.

“So we did that-” Kevin said.

“And we killed it!” Charlie finished, making a gun firing sound.

Dean chuckled and focused on his husband, who hadn’t spoken through the exchange. 

Cas was looking at him like he was something precious. And Dean didn’t even do anything.

Dean held out his hand to Cas. The angel took it and stood up, their bond sending a jolt of electricity through Dean’s veins. Kevin and Charlie got up as well, struggling to remove blades of grass from their jeans.

Once they brushed off their dirty clothes, Dean said, “we got some more people that were resurrected. They’re over by Sam.”

————

After introductions were made, they all found themselves at the nearest bar.

Cas, Dean, Kevin, and Charlie took a booth while Sam, Bobby, Ellen, and Jo sat across the bar a safe distance away.

Sam and the recently resurrected hunters each drank a beer and watched the foursome at the booth with interest.

At the booth, Charlie and Kevin went into more detail about the hunt, Dean listening closely and laughing at the appropriate parts. Every once in a while, Dean would glance at Cas across from him, tapping the angel’s leg with his boot playfully. Cas’s timid smile whenever he did this gave Dean a little thrill.

When the story was over, they noticed Kevin’s attention diverted to a cute blonde alone at the bar.

Dean nudged his shoulder. When Kevin looked at him, Dean said, “go talk to her.”

Kevin sputtered and blushed an embarrassing shade of red.

Charlie took his hand and said, “deep breaths. You got this.”

Kevin sucked in a few breaths, willing away his blush and clearing his throat. “Okay.” He shook out his nerves. “Here I go.”

Charlie cheered a little as Kevin stood up and approached the girl.

After a moment of observing, the girl laughing at what Kevin said, Charlie declared, “okay, we’re all good.”

Cas turned to Charlie and said, “your ten o’clock. A woman that’s your type.”

Charlie followed Cas’s instructions and gasped at a pretty woman with black hair and dark eyes.

Charlie patted Cas’s head twice and said, “you’re such a sweet angel.” She turned to Dean and asked, “how do I look?” Charlie smoothed out her fiery locks and pushed up the frames of her glasses.

“Great,” Dean said gruffly. “Go get her.”

Charlie winked. “I got this.” She slid out of the booth and flirted with the woman, who rebuffed her advances.

Back across the bar, Sam, Bobby, Ellen, and Jo observed as Kevin and Charlie left the booth.

Bobby talked first. “I’m curious. How did Dean and Cas happen?”

Sam answered truthfully, “I don’t know many details. They keep everything under wraps. They didn’t even tell anyone they were married.”

“What?!” The hunters exclaimed in unison.

Sam explained, “it wasn’t because they were ashamed or anything like that. I understand it, with this life. I should have been pissed, but I’m genuinely happy for them.” Sam took a drink from his second beer. “They just...work,” he added as an afterthought.

“You really don’t know much, huh?” Jo asked. She took a sip of beer and let her bottle clink on the table. “That’s a pity. I wanted to tease Dean.”

Ellen, who was watching Dean and Cas converse in the booth, said, “the way Dean looks at him…it’s like he expects Cas to disappear.”

Sam informed them, “that’s a new one. It’s because...well…” Sam didn’t know how to start this conversation, but he knew it would have to happen eventually. “A few months ago,” Sam cleared his throat, “Cas was dead.”

“Dead?!” The three hunters exclaimed.

“We thought for sure he was dead. Angel blade through the heart,” Sam said. “Burned his body and everything.”

Jo looked at Cas across the bar and back to Sam. “How the fu-”

“Jack. A nephilim. Nice kid.” Sam decided to leave out that Jack was Lucifer’s son. “Long story short, he brought Cas back to life.” Sam finished off his beer. “Before that, though, Cas was dead for weeks.” The three hunters looked sympathetic. “Dean was…” Just thinking about it made a fist close around Sam’s heart. “I’d never seen Dean like that before. It was like...you know how Dean is, right? He’ll tear the world apart for revenge. He’s done it before. But this...he just...he gave up. It was like he wasn’t even there anymore. It was like he died with Cas. And I didn’t know how to help him. I didn’t understand at the time what he truly lost.” Sam swallowed a lump in his throat. “After a while, I thought he was getting better. We went on a hunt. A bunch of ghosts trapped in a house. One of us had to enter the veil to free them. Dean injected himself before I could even protest. Three minutes went by, and he didn’t wake up.” Sam felt his eyes watering. “That’s when I realized that Dean wasn’t fine at all. He wanted to die that night. Nothing can convince me otherwise. But Death brought him back. Death knew that Cas was coming for him. And Cas did come back. But that still doesn’t change what happened. It was the day I learned just how much Dean and Cas need each other.”

The three hunters were silent.

Sam huffed. “I didn’t mean to unload on you guys, I swear.”

Bobby chuckled. “It’s fine, kid.” He gave Sam a comforting pat on the shoulder.

Back at the booth, when Dean and Cas were finally alone, the hunter said, “hey, darlin’.”

Cas laughed. “I’ve been right here for the past hour. There’s no need for a greeting.”

Dean smirked. “I know, darlin’.” He glanced over at Sam, Bobby, Ellen, and Jo drinking their beers. “So, what are your thoughts on Chuck’s latest resurrections?”

Cas smiled brightly, showing a hint of teeth. “I think this will be good for you, Dean. To have your family back.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “You and Sam are my family.”

And that — a statement that rang unequivocally true — made Cas unbelievably pleased. 

Cas stared at the table and said softly, “I meant having more people you can trust. You have so much love to give, I couldn’t possibly monopolize it all.”

Dean blushed. He took Cas’s hand quickly and squeezed it, returning his hand back to his empty beer bottle.

This was getting to be too emotional of a conversation. How Dean found himself in these chick flick moments, he would never know.

Dean cleared his throat and changed the subject. “I think we’re being watched.” Cas’s eyes narrowed, and Dean clarified, “those chuckleheads at the bar think we’re very interesting.”

Cas glanced imperceptibly at Sam, Bobby, Ellen, and Jo trying to be inconspicuous about their staring.

Dean said, “Sam probably told them.”

Cas nodded in understanding. His eyes suddenly shifted from calm to concerned. “Did you think they wouldn’t-”

Dean admitted, “I sorta had a panic attack when Jo saw the ring. But then you decided to come through a portal, so I dodged a bullet there.”

Cas tapped Dean’s leg with his shoe, the exact gesture Dean was doing moments earlier. Dean felt a little spark go through their bond.

“It was an irrational fear,” Dean added. “I don’t want you to think that-”

“I don’t think that at all. It’s okay, Dean,” Cas said soothingly. “And they seem to be okay with it, if only a little shocked.”

Dean laughed. “I thought Bobby would have a heart attack. I’m kinda glad Sam told them instead.”

“They’ve been staring at us for a while now. Should I be worried?”

“No, darlin’. And if they try anything, I’m confident you’ll break open a can of whoopass on them.”

Cas huffed. “I’m not gonna do that, Dean.” A pause. “Only verbally.”

Dean laughed quietly as he imagined how such an interaction would go down.

They talked well into the night, the hunter and the angel enjoying each other’s company.

————

The next morning, Cas was resting his head on Dean’s chest, neither of them wanting to get out of bed and face the day.

Dean asked, “do you ever think what our lives would be like without monsters?”

Instead of shutting down the dangerous thought process, Cas said, with complete certainty, “you would be an auto mechanic.”

Dean smiled. “You could be so many things. A beekeeper, a florist, a librarian…” A lightbulb went off in the hunter’s head. “A teacher!”

Cas tilted his head to look up at Dean. His eyebrows were furrowed. “A...teacher?”

With conviction, Dean exclaimed, “you would be an incredible teacher!”

“Really?”

“You don’t see it? You’re definitely a teacher.” He explained, “you teach Claire and Jack about astronomy and hunting and tell stories all the time. You’ve even taught me a lot.”

Cas thought for a moment. “I suppose so.” Dean heard Cas’s wings shift. Cas lifted his body on top of Dean’s with no warning, resting his chin on Dean’s chest and peering up at the hunter. “What kind of things have I taught you?”

Dean rested a hand on Cas’s cheek, the other hand ruffling his hair. He watched Cas’s expectant expression, Dean thinking for the thousandth time that his husband was almost unbearably gorgeous.

Dean began. “You taught me that I deserved to be happy, and not to always expect something bad to happen. You taught me that I’m capable of more than just being some grunt who protects his brother. You taught me that I’m worthy of you, and worthy of love. You taught me to trust people, and stop carrying a gun under my pillow with my finger on the trigger. You taught me that I don’t need to numb my emotions with alcohol. You taught me that I don’t always need to keep my guard up, that I can tell you anything and you won’t judge me.” Dean heard Cas’s breath hitch, but he kept his gaze on his husband’s expressive eyes. “You taught me how to speak Enochian, so that I could always understand you, and love you to the best of my ability. You taught me to love completely and with my whole heart. You taught me how to be a good husband, and how to be there for you no matter what.” Cas’s eyes were shining blue crystals. “There’s so much you’ve taught me. But the most important thing you’ve taught me,” Dean finished breathily, “is how to be a better man.”

Dean barely comprehended Cas’s reaction before his angel surged forward, kissing him soundly. Dean felt Cas’s hands cradling his cheeks as he kissed him and kissed him and kissed him until Dean was breathless.

Not that he was complaining.

Dean and Cas melted into each other, their kisses becoming slow and soft.

Dean loved when they ended up like this. From fast to slow. From desperate to languid. From forceful to soft.

Dean sighed blissfully at the little pecks Cas was placing on his lips, his husband running his fingers through his hair.

Making out with Cas always made his brain short circuit, made his thoughts fuzzy, directed his entire focus to Cas’s touches as they left sparks in their wake.

When their relentless kisses stopped, Cas rested his forehead on Dean’s, breathing heavily.

Dean whispered, “you didn’t let me get to the part where I rattle off random facts about bees.”

Cas’s laugh — filled with pure joy and love — made Dean’s heart stutter. He felt the melody curling in the air, the notes becoming music to his ears. That laugh in particular was one in a million. It was an “I-can’t-believe-you” laugh and an “I-love-you” laugh rolled into one. Dean catalogued the new sound in his mind. He wanted to hear it again as soon as possible. 

Dean couldn’t help but kiss Cas again. Cas pulled away, linking their hands together. “Okay, I am a teacher. Happy?”

Dean smiled. “I am.”

————

Dean and Cas spent another hour outlining a fake life they would never have. 

They described their ideal house. A cabin near a stretch of road, not too far into the woods, but close to a lake. The interior would be small, since they didn’t need much, with comfortable furniture and photos on the walls.

They imagined it in their minds until it was mid-morning, when they heard nearby doors opening and closing and voices traveling through the bunker.

————

A few days after the resurrection of Bobby, Ellen, and Jo, Cas went to get Jack.

And Cas disappeared for hours.

When everyone inquired to Dean where the angel was, the hunter said, “I know that he’s okay. Jack must’ve gotten himself into something.”

“How do you know he’s fine?” Jo asked.

Dean thought of his bond with Cas, and how he could even begin to explain it. Dean just replied, “because I do.”

Later that afternoon, Dean, Sam, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Charlie, and Kevin were sitting outside the bunker on lawn chairs, drinking a strange tea that Charlie whipped up.

It didn’t take long for a portal to open.

And for two trucks to spit out of it.

Dean recognized Jody’s truck in front with Donna's truck a few feet away from it. The familiar sound of shotgun and pistol bullets sliced through the air.

Jody was driving her truck, Patience in the passenger’s seat with her eyes glowing. She was clearly using her psychic abilities in some way. Kaia was in the backseat, the barrel of a sleek silver pistol pointed out the window as she fired rounds into the portal. Jack was standing in the bed of the truck, his orange eyes glowing as he slowly started forcing the portal closed. Alex was driving Donna’s truck, Donna herself firing shotgun rounds through the window of the passenger’s seat. Cas and Claire were in the bed of the truck, lying on their backs with shotguns perched on their shoulders, their movements and shots completely in sync. As Jack pulled the portal closed at last, the energy seemed to drain from him, his orange eyes turning blue again as he sat on the truck bed with slumped shoulders.

The trucks came to a stop, everyone visibly sighing in relief.

The group watching from the bunker entrance stood up from their lawn chairs. Dean’s heart was racing from the display he just witnessed.

The wayward sisters, the angel, and the nephilim got out of the trucks. Dean noticed Cas and Claire immediately check on Jack. He heard the nephilim tell Cas, “that was hard to do.”

He heard Cas say encouragingly, “you’ll get better at it. You did good.” Cas threw an arm around Claire’s shoulders and said, “you did good, too.”

“I know,” Claire said, flipping her hair jokingly.

After everyone was face-to-face, introductions were made. As this was happening, Dean realized how incredibly large his family was.

An overwhelming fondness for everyone around him enveloped Dean in a blanket of warmth. He adored his weird family.

————

The next few days passed by in a flurry of activity, with everyone getting to know each other. 

The bunker became more crowded than ever, not that anyone was complaining.

Friendships were forged, bonds were solidified, and everyone got along splendidly.

But good things didn’t last long.

————

When Castiel received a black envelope via portal during dinner with his family, his heart dropped to his stomach.

Everyone watched Cas’s complexion turn pale as he examined the black envelope like he was seeing a ghost. Cas swallowed a lump in his throat and opened the letter in dead silence. 

On the piece of paper was a drawing — courtesy of Gabriel — of a fluffy cloud spouting giant droplets of rain.

Castiel heard Dean ask, “what is it?”

Cas stuffed the drawing into the envelope and stood up. “I have to go.”

“Is it something bad?” Dean asked.

Cas huffed. “A black envelope definitely isn’t good.”

That seemed to drain the room of happiness. Cas was surprised at how concerned everyone was for him. He hadn’t known how that felt before. He was only used to Gabriel and Balthazar and Dean and Sam truly caring about him. That list has since grown, but it only made Cas feel even worse for leaving.

He heard Dean say quietly, “be careful.” 

Not trusting himself to speak, Cas met Dean’s eyes and nodded. Before he could second guess himself, Castiel was gone.

————

Castiel hadn’t been to the Sad Cloud in almost two years.

And yes, the angels called it the Sad Cloud.

The giant mass of vapor encompassed most of London, and it was where angels went to wallow in their depression and cry. The angel tears were then converted to rain, which, of course, was why London was covered in buckets of water almost constantly.

Castiel had spent a large chunk of his life on this cloud.

It was how he gained the title Angel of Tears. The angels would jokingly say that the amount of tears he shed were why his eyes were a unique shade of blue.

Having not been to the Sad Cloud in one year and nine months was a personal best for Cas. 

Castiel noticed Gabriel and Balthazar immediately, sitting on a couch hovering an inch above the gray cloud.

None of their usual joviality reached their facial expressions.

This was bad.

Cas materialized a copy of the library armchair he liked so fondly, knowing that he would need the comfort. He walked weightlessly on the cloud, sitting on his armchair across from the couch. 

Cas realized that Balthazar was weary and pale, and Gabriel looked like a zombie.

With Balthazar babysitting Asmodeus and Gabriel using his archangel abilities to push back Michael, they were running on fumes.

Gabriel began the conversation by saying weakly, “I can’t hold him back much longer.”

Cas sighed. He knew this would happen, but not this soon. He needed more time. He needed more time with his family.

But his time had just run out.

Balthazar made a martini appear in his shaking hand, drinking it down in one gulp. He asked, “Cassie, what plan has your tactician brain come up with?”

Castiel opened his mouth, and began.

————

Later that night, Castiel appeared back in the bunker library.

And his entire family was waiting for him.

Cas should have felt touched at the gesture. Instead, he felt a hand close around his heart and squeeze painfully.

They all turned their attention to the angel as soon as he walked in.

Castiel was at a loss for words.

Dean seemed to sense this, because he stood up and went to Cas’s side. The couple shared a look, Dean sending encouragement through their bond.

Cas told them succinctly that another dimension was clashing with theirs, that the consequences could be catastrophic, that Michael was coming, that Cas and his brothers had a plan, and that he would be gone for a while once the inevitable war broke out. 

When Cas said he would be leaving the next morning, everyone looked at the angel sympathetically, some of them trying to argue. But Cas remained firm, and went to his room a moment later.

————

Dean found his husband curled up in bed, staring at the wall.

Dean laid by his side without thinking about it, whispering, “hey, darlin’.”

Cas’s eyes pierced right through him. “I’m sorry. I thought I had more time.”

Dean’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I hate doing this to you, Dean. Leaving you, causing you pain.”

“Hey,” Dean said softly, resting a hand on the angel’s cheek, “that’s what love is. We hurt each other, we piss each other off, but we make each other happy.” Dean felt his eyes watering. “I love you so much, okay?” Cas squeezed his eyes shut, nodding resolutely.

“I love you too,” Cas breathed, pressing a kiss to Dean’s forehead.

Dean said softly, “promise me you won’t do anything stupid and get yourself killed.”

Cas smiled wobbly. “I promise. I have a big family now, remember?”

Dean laughed through his rising tears.

“You’re absolutely right, darlin’.”

**Author's Note:**

> Part 4 (Part 6) will be out within two weeks. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
